I am delighted to announce the launch of itspolitics.org a new impartial organisation which aims to encourage voter registration, voting and participation in politics, along with compulsory political education in secondary schools.

I have decided to launch this organisation as I believe passionately that those involved in the political process need to engage with those who do not vote. I do not believe that those under the age of 25 should be the sole target for this campaign. There are many people over the age of 25 who don’t vote for the exact same reason young people don’t vote, and that is why itspolitics.org will target everybody – regardless of their age, gender and ethnicity.

Having worked for several MPs, I know that politicians aren’t all the same, and the vast majority of politicians are not in politics for themselves. We are incredibly lucky to have the vote and we must use it. Even today, countries across the world prevent their citizens from voting in free and democratic elections. For the sake of democracy, I urge people to use their vote to ensure their voice is heard by all political parties.

Voting is more than simply marking a ballot paper for a political party. It is about ensuring your voice is heard, and voting for a party which you feel can best represent you. Education, the economy, the health service, jobs – it is all politics. In fact, our lives are dominated by decisions made by politicians. By not voting you are remaining silent and accepting the views of your peers.

Register to vote and on May 7th vote for a party which you feel can best represent you in the House of Commons. Get involved in the political process and be the change, because your vote and voice are far more powerful than you think!

It is often rightly said that policing is a job like no other, that officers go above and beyond to uphold law and order, and that British policing is the envy of the world, however it is unfortunate that the majority of police related stories in the press criticise rather than praise the police service.

Below you can find a quote I gave to 4Policing relating to the proposals to allow people to join the police service at Inspector level. Currently all police officers must start as a Constable and serve two years probation period. After which time they could apply for fast track promotion through a management course.

The Ministry of Justice’s website was brought down for several hours according to the Government Department. It comes just months after the Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond revealed there were more than 400,000 cyber-attack attempts on government websites and computers.